Hi there! This isn't exactly about nursing - I hope it's OK to post it here...

My 3-year-old has had a bad cough/fever/cold for a week. Baby (3.5 mos) had a tiny bit of runny nose but seems otherwise fine. However, 3 days ago her poops turned from nice normal yellow to weird chunky dark green, and they remain like that. Could this be because of the virus just going through her in a different way? Do colds change their poops or should I assume something else is going on??

Thanks! :)

November 3rd, 2012, 01:26 PM

@llli*mommal

Re: Sudden green poop ...

I'd blame the virus. Your 3 year old's poops would probably look off, too, if she was still an EBF baby, instead of a solids-eating little kid.

November 10th, 2012, 04:33 AM

@llli*satin.mama

Re: Sudden green poop ...

Hi again,

I just wanted to ask advice again because this has continued for so long. We all wound up getting the cold to one extent or another (just a very sore throat for me since Wednesday, and only a sniffle for the baby). But just after I wrote that last post and just after noticing the dark green poops, I noticed that my milk supply felt like it shot up and baby is suddenly drowning in milk most times she nurses. I have never had a problem with too much milk before in my life, but it's like I suddenly developed over-active let-down and she splutters, coughs, comes off, glugs, and spits up more because of this. Could this apparent OALD somehow be causing the green poops? Because she hasn't had a yellow poop in over a week; they are still dark green and rather more solid and/or stringy (sorry!) than usual.

Or should I still be blaming the cold since we're still kind of sick? When should I get worried about this green-poop-ness?

Thanks again :)

November 10th, 2012, 07:18 AM

@llli*mommal

Re: Sudden green poop ...

Yes, lactose overload from oversupply (the usual cause for OALD) is probably the most common cause of green poops. But since everyone is still sick, there's no way to say for sure if it's the higher supply or the illness which is responsible for the green diapers. If the baby is struggling with a fast letdown, try adopting reclined nursing positions, which enlist the aid of gravity to slow the flow of milk to the baby.

As long as baby is generally happy, healthy, and growing well, green poops are nothing to worry about, even if they continue for months and months. You only need to worry if the baby is not growing well, is showing signs of allergy (excema, asthma, hives), or if the poops contain significant amounts of blood (more than specks or streaks).

November 10th, 2012, 09:18 AM

@llli*jenna562

Re: Sudden green poop ...

I agree with mommal. This is weird but almost a non issue as long as baby is ok. Personally instead of a sudden oversupply, I'd bet that baby, if he was ill, was just not taking as much while sick.